An open letter to my daughter as she turns 11 on the 11th

Dear Middle G,

Today is a day in your life that will never happen again. Today you are turning 11 on June 11th.

I remember being at the playground with your sister and pushing her on a swing. I must have looked terrible because people kept saying things like "Wow, when is your baby due?"

When I would reply "Last Monday" many moms decided to move their child to a different swing in fear I might just squat down at the playground and ask to borrow their shoelace to tie off the unbiblical cord. Let's be serious people, they don't hand out purple hearts in the labor and delivery ward, I want medication. I am a wimp.



This is an exceptionally flattering photo. I am not sure what is worse--how huge I am, how terrible my hair is, or the fact that I thought wearing a shirt with an accenting stripe was a good idea.

Anyway, after making us wait an extra week for your arrival you finally made a grand entrance (only after being induced) on June 11, 2001 weighing in at a whopping 8lbs 9oz. 21 inches long. Exactly three months before the events of 9-11.

George W. Bush was the president (to which I will refrain from commenting about); a loaf of bread was about $1.00; a first class stamp was 35 cents and minimum wage was $5.15.

In honor of your 11 years of life, I will attempt to provide you with eleven bits of advice. The likelihood that it will mean much to you until you have your own daughter is slim.

All quotes by Dr. Seuss (because I love him)

1. Be yourself. “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” Don't listen to people who try to make you into something you are not. Go against the current.


2. You are better than no one and no one is better than you. “A person's a person, no matter how small.” It is important to remember that no matter how big your wallet becomes that without someone willing to pick up the trash we would all drown in our own waste.


3. Care deeply about something other than yourself. Our world is self centered. It's all about what can I do for me. How can I get ahead. Promise me that you will take time to realize that IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”


4. Life is less about what happens and more about how you react. "I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!” Don't sit around wallowing in self pity. Take action. If you don't like your life, change it. If you don't like your job, do something else. If life deals you a bad hand, play it through the best you can.


5. Make your own path. Don't be a follower. Be a leader. Don't settle. "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go."


6. Don't take yourself too seriously. Laugh a lot. Make friends with people who bring out the best in you. “I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.”


7. Never stop reading. When we read we stimulate parts of our brain that can't be touched any other way. It helps us to learn better, to communicate better and to just be better. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”


8. Life goes by pretty fast. To paraphrase Ferris, if you don't stop and look around you might miss it. Remember that no one is guaranteed a tomorrow. Live in the present. “How did it get so late so soon?"


9. There is someone out there just for you. Don't worry if it takes awhile to find them. You'll know when you do. “We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”


10. Keep your eyes open. Opportunities are all around you. “You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut"


11. Life is a series of memories. Some will be good. Some will be not so good. The important thing to remember is that without these memories, without these experiences we wouldn't be the people we are today. “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened"

No matter where life takes us, I will always be your number one fan. I love you, Middle G. Happy Birthday!!!